Book Review: The Walk

A charming children’s storybook to help children fall asleep and have sweet dreams

By Carol Orsborn, PhD

Grandmas: This illustrated children’s book from Grant Maxwell and his mother-in-law, Susan Edwards, will melt your heart! The Walkwas written by Grant for his toddler son and illustrated by Susan for her grandson. The book, an engaging fantasy, is a Godsend at naps and bedtime.

In the story, a little boy named Mason and his dogs, Muffin and Lloyd, decide to go for a walk in the woods. They find a cave that leads down to a great cavern with an underground lake. At the edge of the lake, they find a rowboat. At the center of the lake, they find an island with a little tower. They climb the stairs and continue their adventure through time and space.

Maxwell describes the book’s origins:

“As any parent knows, bedtime is one of the sweetest times you can spend with your child, but it can also be difficult to get kids to settle down and fall asleep. I learned this first-hand putting my son, Mason, to bed every evening. After he takes his bath, puts on his pajamas, brushes his teeth, and kisses Mommy goodnight, we retreat to his bedroom, where we almost invariably read three books. However, we’ve gone through long periods when, even after I made my reading voice as soothing as possible, he was still having a hard time calming down. So I started telling him a story about a boy named Mason . . .”

It was Maxwell’s wife, Ginny, who suggested he enlist her mother, artist Susan Edwards, to paint the beautiful illustrations. Edwards deftly captures the mood of the story in watercolor with dashing bright free strokes against easy washes. In the words of one art critic: “This gift of interpretation elicits a comfortable response, illustrates the mind’s image at the same time, leaving plenty of space for the imagination.”

The Walk is one of those special children’s books that you will enjoy reading just as your little one will love hearing the comforting words and seeing the wonderful illustrations over and over again. The story is an engaging adventure that teaches about tree and gemstones along the way and delivers on its promise of sweet dreams.